Clothes-line reel.



CHARLES D. DITTMAN, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

CLOTHES-LINE REEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1907.

Application filed June 30,1906. Serial No. 324,244.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES D. DITTMAN, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and Stateof Pennsylvania, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements inClothes-Line Reels, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in clothesline reels, and the invention has for its object to provide a housingfor a clothes line reel.

Another object of this invention is to pro vide a simple and inexpensivespring-held reel and novel means for locking said reel in a fixedposition.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be presentlydescribed and specifically pointed out in the claims.

Reference now being had to the drawing forming part of thisspecification, like numerals of reference designate similar parts in theseveral views, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improvedreel and its housing, the door thereof being open, Fig. 2 is a verticalsectional view taken on line :1:ac of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a frontelevation of the reel and housing, illustrating a line attached to thereel, Fig.4 is a side elevation of a modified form of locking memberthat can be used in connection with the reel, Fig. 5 is a perspectiveview, upon a small scale of my improved reel housing, and Fi 6 is aperspective view of the combined lodliing member and handle of myimproved reel.

The housing of my improved reel consists of a casing or box 1 having ahinged door or lid 2, normally held in a closed position by aconventional form of hook 3 and eye 4.

In the casing or box 1 is arranged a vertically disposed plate 5contiguous to the side wall 6 of said box or casing. Journaled in theplate 5, side wall 6 and side wall 7, is a shaft 8, upon which is fixeda reel 9 and a pinion 10, said pinion being located between the sideWall 6 and the plate 5, while the reel 9 is located between said plateand side wall 7.

In the side wall 6 and the plate 5, beneath the shaft 8, is journaled ashaft 11, upon which is mounted a large pinion 12 adapted to mesh withthe pinion 10 of shaft 8. Surrounding the shaft 11 between the pinion 12and the side wall 6 is a coiled retracting spring 14, the one end ofsaid spring being fixed to the shaft 11, as at 15, while the other endof said spring is secured to a rod 16 mounted between the side wall 6and the plate 5.

'lhetop 27 of the casing or box 1 is provided with an opening 28 throughwhich protrudes a combined handle and locking member 29, the one end ofsaid member being secured to the top of the box or casing as at 30. Theopposite end of the member is adapted to engage the teeth 31 formed inthe periphery of the head 32 of the reel 9. The member 29 is adapted tonormally hold the reel 9 sta tionary, but when said reel is beingcarried by the locking member or handle, the reel is released.

A modified form of locking member is illustrated in Fig. 4 of thedrawing, said member being employed to lock the pinions 12 and 10 fromrotation. In this construction I provide the rear wall 17 with athumb-screw 18 having a loosely mounted toothed pawl 19 upon its innerend adapted to engage the pinion 12. The block 19 is guided in itsmovement and prevented from rotating by brackets 20 secured upon theinner side of the rear wall 17.

Attached to the reel 9 by a screw 21 or similar fastening means is theend of a clothes line 22, the opposite end of said line forming a loop23, which prevents said end from passing through the opening 24 formedin the bottom 25 of the box or casing, also provides means for attachingthe end of the line to a hook or similar support.

J ournaled between the plate 5 and side wall 7 is a roller 26 over whichthe clothes line 22 passes when being wound or unwound in the box orcasing 1.

Through the medium of the retracting spring 14, pinions 12 and 10, theline 22 is normally wound upon the reel. The box or casing is carried bya person, when the line is to be stretched between two points, and theloop 23 having been fixed at one point, the box or casing is carried tothe opposite point; the line unwinding and placing the spring 14 undertension. The opposite point having been reached, the handle or lookingmember 29 is released to engage the head 32 of the reel 9, at which timethe line 22 is secured at the point and is ready to be used.

After the line has been used and the line released at its supportingpoints the member 29 is seized, thus releasing the reel and the spring14 winds the line upon the reel 9.

My improved reel and housing protects a line when not being used andprevents the line from becoming entangled or injured.

Such changes in the details of construction, as are permissible by theappended claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

A clothes line reel comprising a boX or casing having a hinged door, aplate mounted in said boX, and shaft journaled in said plate and theside walls of said boX, a reel fixed upon said shaft and having a lineattached thereto, the periphery of one side of said reel being toothed,a pinion mounted upon said shaft, a gear Wheel journaled in said boX andmeshin with said pinion, and a retracting spring docated adjacent tosaid gear and adapted to actuate said gear and pinion, a rollerjournaled in said box and plate to guide said line, and a combinedhandle and locking member carried by the body of said box and projectinginto the latter to engage said teeth to normally hold said reel againstrotation, and the bottom of said boX being provi ded with an opening forthe eXit of said line.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twoWitnesses.

CHARLES D. DITTMAN.

WVitnesses:

MAX I-I. SRoLovrrz, E. E. POTTER.

